On the record

Welcome…

It’s become accepted wisdom that the making of the

Simon says

After showing his fancy linen in public, our columnist expands his horizons searching for new musical talent for Bella Union, leading to some enlightening cultural exchanges…

#19 Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized main man Jason Pierce had been attracted

IAN PEEL’S LINER NOTES

They’ve been the subject of court cases and inquiries into satanic subversion and were to vinyl what Easter Eggs were to DVDs. Let’s take a look at the weird world of backward messages…

SNAPPED ANKLES

Green shoots of creativity as London innovators hone sophomore album

CRATE DIGGING WITH…LAURA VEIRS

Following the release of her latest record, The Lookout, singer-songwriter and acclaimed folk-pop artist Laura Veirs is now a full 10 albums deep into her solo career and is still searching for fresh inspiration. Here, she reveals her most-cherished musical touchstones…

THE BEATLES

Abbey Road Studios, London, October 1968

DJ MUGGS

Producer and Cypress Hill member DJ Muggs digs out an otherworldly jam that captures the fusion of art and music at the heart of the old-school era, and tells Sam Willis how it influenced him…

NO DISCO

Gareth Murphy visits Downtown Manhattan at the dawn of the 80s to explore a dazzlingly influential moment in pop culture that forged the decade and pointed the way into the 90s…

SOUL REBEL

With fifth solo album Natural Rebel out now and a UK tour underway, Richard Ashcroft’s star is once again in the ascendant. John Earls meets him in the studio for a personal rendition…

Lovelorn Troubadour

As he releases a new collaborative album and prepares to go back into the studio, Baxter Dur y tells Jonathan Wright about beat poetry, blagging and the sudden appearance of an Omen child…

JEFF BARRETT

Starting out as a singles buyer for a record shop, Jeff Barrett went on, via Revolver and Creation, to enduring success as founder of Heavenly Records. Ben Wardle visits Barrett’s bar to find out more

Beggars & KINGS

After Sgt. Pepper’s… triumphed over Their Satanic Majesties Request in 1967’s psychedelia battle, the aftermath saw The Beatles and The Rolling Stones react very differently for the follow-ups. While The Beatles did whatever they damn well pleased, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards realised they had to get much tighter. With new 50th Anniversary editions of The Beatles (The White Album) and Beggars Banquet, John Earls traces their fraught history…

NEW CREATION

The brainchild of The Charlatans’ singer Tim Burgess, O Genesis could have been another rockstar vanity label. Instead, over the last seven years, it’s become an important home for maverick musicians whose outsider art would otherwise struggle to find a home. Burgess tells John Earls of impulsive releases and how running a label has honed his secretarial skills…

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JAMES MARSH

Teri Saccone visits artist James Marsh, whose transformations of the natural world graced Talk Talk’s records throughout their career.

Classic Album A TRIBE CALLED QUEST MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS

A Tribe Called Quest cemented their position as hip-hop royalty with 1991’s The Low End Theory. But in 1993, a year that would help define the ‘golden era’ of rap, their third record Midnight Marauders went even further, explains Sam Willis…

Laurel Canyon

The artists of the Laurel Canyon movement were a mellow, yet tightly knit bunch who formed bands, wrote songs, partied hard and slept together and, as Gary Tipp details, released an incredible catalogue of music…

THE VINYL REVIVAL

In this extract from new book The Vinyl Revival And The Stores That Made It Happen, author Graham Jones visits Sheffield vinyl guru Barry Everard

Liverpool

Mark Elliott takes a trip to Liverpool and looks beyond the Fab Four for vinyl delights

BATHORY BATHORY

The improvised packaging decisions of a metal bandleader on a limited budget created an LP that’s highly prized in this, and indeed any, realm

DIGGING FOR VICTORY

Our resident record-shop owner Mark O’Shaughnessy has an enlightening encounter with a spiritual wanderer… Then buys his vinyl

Luaka Bop

Chris Parkin on how David Byrne’s 30-year-old Luaka Bop label has shone the spotlight on talents such as William Onyeabor and Alice Coltrane – and continues to uncover the eclectic…

Library music

Library music is enjoying a vinyl renaissance, but was nearly left to languish in the vaults forever. Don’t burn down the library until you’ve heard all the music, says Chris Parkin…

BARRY HASSAN

Quality not quantity is the watchword for Northern Irish collector Barry Hassan, whose record collection began with 90s indie, but branched out into classic and hard rock…

The Beatles

DELUXE 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

The Rolling Stones

BEGGARS BANQUET 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Massive Attack

MEZZANINE

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

ELECTRIC LADYLAND

Big Brother & The Holding Company

SEX, DOPE & CHEAP THRILLS

Various Artists

JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY

The Fall

I AM KURIOUS ORANJ

OMD

REISSUES

Scientist

SCIENTIST AND JAMMY STRIKE BACK!

Bronski Beat

THE AGE OF CONSENT

Calexico

THE BLACK LIGHT

Smashing Pumpkins

SHINY AND OH SO BRIGHT

Nile Rodgers & Chic

IT’S ABOUT TIME

The Prodigy

NO TOURISTS

J Mascis

ELASTIC DAYS

Bill Ryder-Jones

YAWN

Thom Yorke

SUSPIRIA OST

Art Brut

WHAM! BANG! POW! LET’S ROCK OUT!

David Bowie

GLASTONBURY 2000

Boygenius

BOYGENIUS

Audiobooks

NOW! (IN A MINUTE)

B.E.D

BAXTER DURY, ÉTIENNE DE CRÉCY AND DELILAH HOLLIDAY

The Soundtrack Of Our Lives

BEHIND THE MUSIC

Ed Harcourt

BEYOND THE END

Ty Segall

FUDGE SANDWICH

Bert Jansch

JUST A SIMPLE SOUL

Vessel

QUEEN OF GOLDEN DOGS

Ryley Walker

THE LILLYWHITE SESSIONS

Public Memory

DEMOLITION

A-tota-so

BUTTONPUSHER & CIRCUIT SWEET

Dan Mangan

MORE OR LESS

DREAM MACHINES

No other amp is built like it, looks like it, or sounds like it, says Audio Research. Paul Rigby introduces you to the ultra-high-end Reference 160M power amplifi er…

NAD C 558

NAD are a fixture in the hi-fiworld, but they’re traditionally known more for their amps than turntables. Paul Rigby puts the C 558 through its paces and notes some familiar features…

STST MOTUS II

This turntable from German manufacturer STST is a minimalist design with an ingenious approach to direct drive. Paul Rigby finds out more…